Saving Her
by 2three.abi
Summary: She sobbed as she climbed on the side of the bridge, not caring if the cold wind of the night was making the hair on her arms stand on their ends. She was going to die anyway.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Saving You

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**Summary:** He was her savior. He saved her life, saved her from the darkness that was slowly consuming her. And ever so slowly, her old self was resurfacing... that cheerful and bubbly girl she once was. He had saved her, in many other ways she could ever realize. He saved her from the darkness, saved her from physical harm… he saved her heart and healed it, making it able to love once again. But then, his words that night he saved her kept on flashing like warning signs inside her head... "Just promise me one thing: never ever fall in love with me."

* * *

**Being afraid of the dark is what keeps most of us alive.**

* * *

Tears were carelessly falling from her amber eyes, her cheeks had started to be stained with them. She didn't know how many hours she had been crying, nor did she care to find out how long she was crying her eyes out.

Mikan Sakura had just run away from home. Away from her comfy bed and all the luxury she had grown up with… away from her stepfather.

She cringed just from remembering him. The Rei Serio she knew when her mother was still alive was gone. He used to be a caring, gentle father figure she grew up with since she hadn't known her real father at all. Maybe she has, but she really couldn't remember him at all.

Izumi Yukihara passed away because of an illness when his daughter was barely a year old.

But then, when his mother had died from that freak incident a few weeks ago, the man she considered as her father had started to change. He became cold and unfeeling... and the warmth she had sought from a father and saw in his eyes was suddenly gone. It was replaced by something... what it was? She didn't know.

At first, she didn't mind. She kept on telling herself that he was being like this because of her mother's death... but she was wrong.

That night, the same night she ran away from home, the brunette found out the truth behind her mother's sudden death.

* * *

_Rei Serio was drunk, and the stench of alcohol he was emitting made the brunette scrunch her little nose._

_Mikan hurriedly walked to his side and ordered the maids to get warm water and make a cup of coffee as she held his stepfather near her side. They walked to his room's direction and gently shut the door close._

_She asked him if he was okay, if somehow, he was feeling a bit queasy because of his current state. His stepfather looked at her sternly, before something odd sparked in his coal-black eyes._

_Not recognizing it, the brunette chose to ignore it. But it was then that her stepfather locked the door and grabbed her that she realized... this was not the man she considered as her second father. The man in front of her was nothing but a vile old man._

_Fear registered on her face as soon as he grabbed both of her arms and shoved her into a wall nearby. _

_"Funny, Mikan-" he whispered, his voice was laced with something that made the brunette whimper, "-your face mirrored your mother's the moment she found out that I want her dead."_

_She gasped and didn't realize the tears staining her pale, ashen face. _

_"Oh yes," he continued. "I planned her death. She knew I was about to kill her for almost a year, but she said nothing and acted as normal as possible. For you. For her precious little daughter. She said she'd do anything for you. So I tested her, asked her to leave for a while… asked her to lie to you when she told you she had an emergency business meeting to attend to. She didn't know... a huge explosion was waiting for her on that private plane of hers."_

_The brunette sobbed as the man in front of her gave her a creepy look before licking his lips darkly._

_"I told her I wanted you, the same moment when she found out that I was planning to get her killed... But you know what she told me?" Rei Serio chuckled darkly before continuing, his voice poorly imitated that of her mother's. "You'll get her, over my dead body," he said and grimaced. Rei then looked at the frail looking girl in front of him and chuckled once again._

_He then planted a wet lingering kiss on her cheek. Mikan whimpered once again and chose to close both her eyes. The man moved his lips near her ears and whispered softly to her, "And now that she's gone, I'm now ready to claim you as mine."_

_Hearing those words, fear and adrenaline fuelled her will to get out of that room alive, with her virginity intact. She thrashed around him and kicked him where it would hurt the most. He kneeled on the floor, his hands cupping his crotch protectively._

_"You bitch!" he shouted as he lunged himself to her once again. This time, Mikan grabbed the closest thing to her and whacked him on the side of his head. The thing, it turned out, was a flower vase._

_Blood flowed from his wound on the side of his head, as he lay unconscious on the floor. She then followed her instinct and ran outside the room._

That night, she left that place, telling herself that she would never come back to that house... _alive_.

* * *

Tears were carelessly falling from her amber eyes, and her cheeks had started to be stained with them. She didn't know how many hours she had been crying, nor did she care to find out how long she was crying her eyes out.

Mikan Sakura had just run away from home. Away from her comfy bed and all the luxury she had grown up with… away from his stepfather.

She sobbed as she climbed on the side of the bridge, not caring if the cold wind of the night was making the hair on her arms stand on their ends.

She was going to die anyway.

Mikan closed her eyes, spread both of her hands apart as she willed herself to fall off the bridge.

Well, that was before someone grabbed her before she could even fall, and dragged her off to the end of the road, away from the bridge.

She thrashed and tried to get away from the person, but she couldn't. He or she was too strong for her. That, or she was just too tired to even exert an effort. The brunette then heard her savior speak.

"Are you freakin' crazy? You could have died!"

She looked at him and gave him her best glare. And yes, her savior was a _he_… a very handsome he as a matter of fact. But she didn't care.

"Well, that's the point, right?" she retorted sarcastically.

The man narrowed his eyes, turned and walked away, taking her with him in the process as he was still holding her arm. His grip was going to leave a bruise on her arm alright.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?" she shouted. The man stopped on his tracks and looked back at her.

"Well, I'm taking you home. Address?"

The brunette visibly paled and averted her gaze away from him. "I have no home."

She then heard the man beside him snicker. "You ran away from home," he said.

Mikan glared at him once again. "I don't want to go back there again! I have no reasons to stay there!"

The man grunted and let go of her. Oh, that was good. She could finally feel her arm now. "Care to tell me the reasons why you can't go home, huh, little girl?"

The brunette felt her cheeks flush. "I-I'm not little anymore!"

Her savior looked at her, letting his eyes linger on her figure. He then let his eyes stay longer on her chest and laughed softly. "I beg to differ," he then said.

Mikan blushed again, as she tried to cover her chest protectively from him. "What are you looking at?" she said, and looked him in the eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed his eyes... they were an unusual shade of red, almost like blood. Mentally shaking her head, she scowled and turned away from him before walking to the bridge's direction once again.

"Hey, little girl! Where do you think you're going?"

She looked back at him and found both of his hands on the side of his hips, his forehead knotted. "To die, what else?" she said and continued to walk away. The brunette took a deep breath as neared the side of the bridge. She then heard the sound of a motorcycle coming into life but chose to ignore it.

She was about to climb on the side of the bridge once again when for the second time, she was dragged away from it. But this time, there were no arms wrapped around her. Instead, she realized, she was on a motorcycle, lying on her stomach, behind its driver.

Mikan screamed. What could this man be thinking? _She could have died!_ Err, well...

"Stop it! You're too loud!"

"_AHHHHH!_ Rapist! Someone help me! I'm being kidnapped! Help!"

The man stopped the motorcycle and turned to face her. The brunette then ceased from shouting when he saw the look in his eyes... he was annoyed. At her. Mikan mentally told herself not to snicker.

"Shut the hell up or I'll leave you here alone," he then said as he handed her a spare helmet he had just in case someone might need a ride. Well, not that he had intentions of letting a stranger ride his precious motorcycle, but... you get the point. "Wear it and get on. I want to go home."

She obeyed him and put the helmet on as she got on the seat behind him. "Where are you taking me?" she then asked.

"I told you. Home."

_Eh?_

* * *

Mikan looked at herself on the mirror in front of her. She was wearing a man's clothes... Natsume's to be exact.

He told him his name as they walked into his apartment. He then got some clothes for her and ordered her to take a bath before going to the kitchen. The brunette obeyed and went inside the bathroom.

Once alone, she couldn't help but cry once again. The memories of what had happened earlier that day still lingered in her mind, and there was no way she could ever forgot those. She let her tears wet her cheeks and scrubbed her skin until it turned red.

She sighed and stared into space. Will there come a time when she could forget about all these things?

The brunette turned to the sound of his footsteps, looking at Natsume. He just finished taking a bath like her, and he looked more handsome than she first saw him. The brunette mentally scolded herself.

"If you're hungry, there's food in the kitchen," he said as he walked past her. He opened the door into his room, but he stopped when he heard her whisper something under her breath. "What?"

"I said, why are you doing this? Why did you _save_ me?"

Looking back at the woman (yes, woman) a few feet away from him, he answered, "I don't even know why. I guess, I don't want to see your face in the morning news tomorrow morning with the headlines: Little Girl, Found Dead."

She felt her cheeks flush. "I told you I'm not little, you-"

"Yeah, yeah. Go to the guestroom and sleep. You have work tomorrow."

"Work? I'm still underage. I-"

"You'll only work part-time. You still have school, don't you?"

"I don't want to go to school anymore," she softly whispered and looked at him. Seeing him with his eyebrow raised, she then added, "And I haven't worked for anyone, you jerk! If my mother found out that I'm working for someone like you, she'd-"

Her words were suddenly cut off as she chose to sit on the couch, bowing her head to look at his polished floor.

"Well, don't you think your mother will be worried once she finds out that you've run away from home?"

"My mother is dead," she softly whispered.

Natsume was quiet for a few moments. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It doesn't matter." Her head turned to look at him, her amber eyes sharp and glaring. "And don't you change the topic, mister. I'm not going to work for you, you-"

"You'll be working for me. You think I'm kind enough to let you live here for free?" he said as he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against his bedroom door.

Mikan huffed and knotted her forehead before sighing. "I-I don't know if I should say this, but… thank you."

Natsume gently nodded as he looked back at her. Smirking, he said, "Don't mention it," before turning the doorknob and opening the door.

"Okay," she said and decided to walk to the guestroom's direction he had pointed to her earlier.

The man looked back at the brunette once again and seeing her treating figure, he told her, "Just promise me one thing."

The brunette stopped in her track at the sound of his voice and looked at him. "What?"

Natsume smirked at her before saying, "Never ever fall in love with me."

And with that, seeing her mouth agape, he closed the door and went to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Edited. Somewhat. :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **No. Never.

**Warnings:** Typos and grammar error; information about the place was insufficient (author of this fanfiction only researched through the help of internet: Wikipedia, Google Maps and Yahoo!) so the author sends her apologies if the info here is not accurate.

* * *

_**Don't find love, let love find you.  
That's why it's called falling in love, because you don't force yourself to fall.  
You just fall.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Pre-fall**

It has been three full weeks since Natsume Hyuuga saved her. It also had been weeks since she started working as his secretary in his company.

Mr. Hyuuga, it turned out, owned a company like the Yukihara's and the Sakura's. No wonder Mikan thought his name sounded familiar.

The brunette sighed as she put her head on the top of her arms which were both on top of her work desk. She had nothing to do today, which was quite unusual (because her boss was a workaholic monster; he never stopped working and giving her something to do unless he was sure that everything to be done that day was finished) and that only left Mikan bored… and hungry.

A few moments passed when she heard the door to his boss' office opened. His raven-head was in between that little space he made, peeking and looking at her with his emotionless face.

"I'm bored," he then finally said. "Let's go out."

The brunette knotted her forehead and looked at him. "Are we going to eat?" she asked.

Natsume raised one of his eyebrows and nodded after. He smirked when he saw the brunette stand up and danced a victory dance, as she raised both her arms in the air and wiggled her hips. Shaking his head, he went inside his office again and fetched his coat on his swivel chair, as he dialled a familiar number on the phone lying quietly on top of his table.

"_Yes, sir? Do you need anything?"_ a voice on the other line inquired.

"Matsuhara-san, I need you to cancel all of my appointments today. Mikan and I are going out."

"_But, sir. You have an important meeting with Ms. Imai this afternoon. And you know Hotaru-sama. She doesn't want―"_

The raven-head massaged his temples. "Do something about it," he said, his voice firm and full of authority. It made no room for another excuse from his other secretary.

"_Ye―Yes, sir."_

"Good," he finally said, as he hang up the phone.

He went out of his office only to find his new secretary standing outside his door and ready to leave. "Are you that bored?" he then asked.

Mikan sheepishly nodded her head and grinned at him. "Where are we going anyway?" she asked, as they started to walk into the elevator.

Natsume only grinned at her in return before walking out of the elevator and into the parking lot.

The brunette was left inside the elevator, her hands in front of her chest, with a faint pink dusting her cheeks.

* * *

Mikan laughed, as fluffy howalons wearing fancy dresses danced around her. Fairies with bright-colored wings floated around her, brandishing their wands at her, leaving traces of fairy dust on their wake. Flowers a few feet high surrounded her, as they sing a sweet melody to her, making the brunette giggle once again.

She motioned to touch a white one, its petals dancing in the wind as it sang to her. She frowned when the flower's face and voice morphed into something that resembles Natsume. And it was telling her to wake up.

Wake up? She was not dreaming, was she?

Giggling, she slapped the flower playfully and looked at the fairies and the dancing howalons once again. Clapping her hands, she tried to dance with them, only to find the white flower following her stubbornly, continuously telling her to wake up.

The brunette felt something shaking her shoulders. She looked at it and found the flower's right leaf on it, shaking her and still telling her to wake up.

Frowning, Mikan opened her eyes and woke up as she stretched both her arms to take the sleepiness away from them. She then looked weirdly at Natsume before saying, "You were in my dream, Natsume."

"What?"

"You were a talking flower," she said and smiled at him. Having this dream was pleasant and it was the first time she had a dream just like this, instead of nightmares of what had happened to her when she left her home every night.

Shaking his head, he told her, "We're here."

Mikan Sakura stared at the scenery in front of her. They were now at the Suwakyo Bridge at Minakami, the largest and northernmost town in the Gunma Prefecture. According to her boss, it only took seventy minutes to get there from Tokyo.

"What are we doing seventy minutes away from Tokyo?"

Natsume smirked at her. "We're going bungee jumping."

The brunette could only look at her boss with widened eyes.

* * *

"Are you sure you can do this?" he asked, his voice dripping with worry. They stood on the side of the bridge, forty-two meters from the river below, which carried whitewater rafters, even kayakers. Needless to say, this place was a heaven for extreme sports enthusiast like Natsume… which she just found out just now.

She smirked, hiding her fear with a grin afterwards. "Of course! But after this, I don't want you calling me little anymore, Mr. Hyuuga."

The raven-head grunted. "Fine. Little girl," he said, before continuing on securing the harness on her body. "You can back out, you know. I won't laugh at you," he continued, as the brunette looked at a couple who jumped, hugging each other's body as they fell.

Mikan let out a nervous laugh. "And let you call me little again and again? No way, Jose! I'll do this. I'm just nervous. And Natsume, if ever I survive this, I―"

"You're rambling."

"Am I? Well, that's probably because I'm nervous. Yeah, I'm nervous. But that doesn't mean that I'll back out. No way. Never. No_oooo_."

"Little girl," Natsume said, as he secured the last harness on her back. She didn't stop talking. "Little girl." _Ugh. So noisy._ "Mikan!" he finally said, calling her name for the first time.

"Did you just...?" the brunette then let out an exaggerated gasp. "Wow! For the first time ever, Natsume Hyuuga called me by my first name. This is an achievement, you know. I don't know why, but I'm happy right now―"

"Mikan, if you don't want to jump, don't. I'm not forcing you to."

The brunette was then silent for a while. "But I want to jump," she whispered afterwards.

The ravenhead sighed. "Look―"

"Can't you just jump with me?" she said, her voice was unsure and little.

"What?" he asked. She cringed. "You want me to jump with you? So you're afraid now? A few days ago, you were planning to kill yourself by jumping off a bridge and now, you're afraid of bungee jumping. Really?"

"No. No! Forget I said anything. I'll jump now!" she said and walked near the jumping area.

Closing her eyes, she calmed herself by counting numbers inside her head.

Natsume kept on saying some safety rules near her ear, but she couldn't hear anything. Her heart was working overdrive inside her chest, yet she didn't even know what caused it to.

Was it because of the raven-head beside her? Or was it the fear that was consuming her?

_Ah_, she decided. _It must be the fear._ _Right. I was just afraid._

_Really? Afraid of what?_, something in her mind asked her. What it was, she didn't know.

_Falling, obviously_, she answered and rolled her eyes unconsciously.

_Falling like literally? Or falling for him?_

Gasping, Mikan opened her eyes in shock. _No, it can't be! It's so soon! Plus, he's much older than me! I_―

"Good luck on your first jump," she then heard him say, his voice gentle against her ear.

Feeling her heart thump against her chest once again, she nodded stiffly and looked at the scenery around her. It seemed to calm her, seeing the beautiful sight surrounding her. But _gaaaah_. He was not making this easy for her.

Few moments after and after taking a few deep breaths, she jumped. She finally jumped. And never in her life had she experienced this kind of feeling.

Her fear had transformed into exhilaration as soon as her feet left the rump... as soon as she felt the wind against her face, caressing her skin gently as she fell, only to be pulled back by the bungee cord attach firmly and securely on her back. Unable to take all of her emotions in, she screamed and it evolved into lively laugh until it died down and remained as a smile on her face.

Natsume smirked at her as soon as she was pulled back up the bridge.

"You like that, huh?"

She nodded, flashing her smile directly at him. Her heart, once again, thumped wildly against her chest as she saw that grin on his face.

Mentally shaking her head, he remembered his warning he told her on the night when they first met.

_"Just promise me one thing: Never ever fall in love with me."_

Mikan didn't know if he was serious that time or he was just playing with her, or he just wanted to make her feel comfortable. (But when she thought of it that night because she couldn't get even a wink of sleep, she realized that what he said made it more… uncomfortable. Being with him, living with him… working for him.)

But oh well. For her, falling like this has never felt so wonderful.

_Ahhhh_.

* * *

**A/N: **Hohoho~


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

**No one believes in love at first sight... until that special person comes along and steals your heart.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Little Bits of Memories**

It had been a few weeks since he had saved Mikan Sakura. And it had also been a few weeks since the young brunette had started working as his secretary.

Not that he needed _another_ one…

Natsume Hyuuga sighed. Yesterday was one of the enjoyable days he had since he came back from the France. He went out with his new secretary, mainly because he was bored and had nothing to do, and also because he just wanted to take a breather. He was so busy with his work that he almost forgot to have some fun.

And so fun they had.

They ate at a nearby restaurant, went to Minakami to do some bungee jumping, ate some more and went to a nearby mall (due to the brunette's whinings) to go window shopping.

It was almost three in the morning and he still couldn't sleep, and being the workaholic that he was, he brought home some works to do. It was something that he got used to doing, and somehow (if he dare say it), it calmed him. He would be sleepy in the morning yes, but still, he couldn't have it any other way.

He was sitting on the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee as company to keep him awake. Natsume was furiously typing on his laptop computer, when he heard a sudden scream coming from the brunette's room.

He got up and rushed to her room's direction and immediately opened the door. The raven-head found her, thrashing on her bed and crying in her sleep. Natsume sat on her bedside and wiped the sweat that was forming on her forehead.

It had been a few weeks since he had saved Mikan Sakura. And it had also been a few weeks since the young brunette had started working as his secretary.

It had also been weeks since this had been happening. Every night, this would happen. He would rush to the brunette's room as soon as he heard her screaming. Without a doubt, she had been plagued with nightmares ever since she left her house... her home.

The raven-head frowned. What could possibly have caused the brunette to have nightmares almost every night? Sure, he noticed that her screams (in her sleep) had decreased these past few days, but he still couldn't help but be bothered.

He once again wiped the glistening sweat on her forehead as she whimpered, muttering inaudible words under her breath.

* * *

_It was another boring day for the eight-year old Natsume Hyuuga. He was dragged to some party by his mother, who was mumbling (and possibly _fangirling_) about her best friend's newborn. Well, not really. The baby has been born three to four months ago, but due to some complications, the mother and daughter pair had to stay inside the hospital for a few months before they were released._

_The raven-head, his younger self, went to the balcony and ruffled his hair, and at the same time, loosened the bow tie that has seemed to be strangling him. He then sighed. He was never one to wear this kind of clothes, and he certainly found it annoying that his hair had to be styled this way._

_Natsume almost groaned when his mother dragged him to see the baby a few moments later. _

_Babies, he learned from some of his friends who had little siblings, were disgusting creatures. They poop and vomit whenever they wanted to, and Natsume didn't like babies because of that certain knowledge. He didn't like babies… especially this one._

_Because the baby was a girl. And he learned (from some movies this time) that girls were one of the most annoying beings that had ever walked this planet. _

_And so, in his twisted eight-year old logic, babies (especially babies who were unfortunate enough to be born as girls) were the foulest things in the world. They were annoying, and loud and irritating and did he mention loud and annoying? _

_Well, that was before he saw this baby._

_Natsume had made a face before as they could reach the crib, which was located on one side of the party hall, but his frowns had disappeared and his crimson orbs sparkled when he saw _it_._

_It was wearing a yellow baby dress, strands of hair with the color of milk chocolate were only starting to thicken on its head and it was smiling. _At him_._

_The boy laughed silently as he tried to touch the baby's plump cheeks. He then looked at their mothers, who were looking at the children, smiling at the sight of them._

_"So Natsume, what do you think of Mikan?" Auntie Yuka asked him as the kind woman continued to smile at him._

_The raven-head smiled and replied, "I think she's pretty!"_

* * *

_Natsume loosened his necktie. He was feeling itchy because of his clothes again. And they were back inside the Yukihara mansion yet again._

_He looked at his mother, who was comforting her best friend, because Auntie Yuka's husband had passed away a few hours ago and they had to go to the funeral house where the Yukihara's remains had been brought to. He didn't quite understand what was happening, but he was sad, because Uncle Izumi was so kind to him. He always gave him chocolates whenever he went to their house to play with his daughter._

_Speaking of the daughter... _

_Mikan, the baby, nearing her one year, was silently sitting on a stroller on one corner of the room, as if sensing the sad atmosphere surrounding her._

_They went to the funeral home afterwards when Auntie Yuka had calmed down a bit._

* * *

_"Mikan, don't! That's dirty!" an eleven-year old Natsume said, as the now three-year old picked up tiny pebbles and motioned to put them into her tiny mouth._

_He ran to the toddler's direction, got pebbles and threw them away. The raven-head then wiped the dirt on both the toddler's hands using his handkerchief. He then picked the toddler up and carried her before sitting under the shade of a sakura tree in the Yukihara gardens._

_They were sitting there, with him leaning on the tree, and the toddler was sitting comfortably on his lap. A moment had passed and Mikan decided that chasing the butterflies was far more interesting than sitting there on Natsume's lap. She got up and tried to catch the insect, but failed in doing so. With a determined look on the toddler's face, she tried to catch a lone butterfly (it was perched on a flower on a bush nearby) once again, with her bare hands. And yet again, she failed and ended up falling on the ground._

_Natsume, who was busy reading a manga (which he hid inside his sweater. How? I don't know...) was alarmed when he heard a small cry nearby. Seeing the crying brunette, he rushed to her and carried her to sit under the sakura tree once again. He dusted her now dirty skirt, and wiped the tears on her chubby cheeks._

_Shaking his head, the raven-head told the three-year old, "You should be more careful, Mikan. You don't want your pretty face wounded, right?" _

_The toddler sniffed and nodded at him. Natsume, doubting that she could understand him, continued, "From now on, you have to take care of yourself. My mom told me that I have to go away soon."_

_"Away?" the three-year old echoed, as if she understood what he just said._

_Natsume nodded. _

_"Why?"_

_"I don't know either."_

_The brunette frowned and tried to get up. She then faced the older boy and took his face into her smaller hands. "I'm going to miss you, Natsume-kun," she said. Her voice was tiny and her words were still a bit slurred, granting that she only began talking and understanding some words a few months back. She then moved her face closer to the boy's, their lips touching for the first time._

_Natsume blushed ever so faintly as he watched the toddler run to chase the butterflies once again._

* * *

_He just returned from his almost fifteen years of stay in France. His mother had asked him to go back to Japan because of the news that Auntie Yuka had passed away. His mother was sad that she couldn't go with him, due to the fact that she was feeling so weak because of an illness._

_Without second thoughts, Natsume agreed and obeyed his mother. He wanted to go back to Japan so badly. He wanted to see her so badly..._

_He smiled as he parked his motorcycle a few feet away from the huge gate. The raven-head was about to walk near it and ask some guards to let him in, when he noticed a young girl running with all her might. _

_A young girl. A brunette. _Mikan_._

_She was running away, barefooted at that, never minding the cold and harsh wind of the chilly month of October. _

_He frowned. She looked like she was crying. She looked like she was escaping from something._

_Worried, Natsume found himself following her, albeit keeping a safe distance between the two of them. He was alarmed when he saw her climbing the railing on the side of a bridge and spreading her arms as if..._

_"Trying to commit suicide? Is she fucking nuts?" he asked himself as he ran towards her. Luckily, he caught her before she could even fall. Natsume dragged her towards the end of the bridge, away from the railing... but the brunette keep on thrashing and kept on moving as if trying to get away from him. But for the raven-head, considering his strength and Mikan's current condition (mentally and physically), it was a feeble effort. _

_She was weak and pale and cold, Natsume noticed. Frowning, he shouted at her, "Are you freakin' crazy? You could have died!"_

_The brunette glared at him. If this was one of those another circumstances, he would have laughed, but he noticed that she was serious and mad at him. Because he saved her from jumping off a bridge._

_What an irony._

_He mentally shook his head when he heard her say, "Well, that's the point, right?"_

_Natsume narrowed his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. Was this the same girl he met and took care of years ago? But come to think of it, the girl didn't seem to recognize him..._

_Well, who could blame her, honestly? Almost fifteen years had passed since they last saw each other. And she was only three back then._

_But anyway..._

_"Hey! Where are you taking me?" she asked as he dragged her to his motorcycle's direction._

_"Well, I'm taking you home. Address?" he asked, pretending not to know. He looked at her face, and if it was possible, she turned even paler with the mention of her home._

_She heard her mutter something under her breath and he smirked. "You ran away from home."_

As if you don't that yet. You practically stalked her, you idiot.

_Shaking that voice inside his head, he forced her to ride his motorcycle, accompanied with some teasings as she declined his offer. He was irked when he saw her walking to the side of the bridge once again, obviously wanting to continue what she came here for._

_"Hey, little girl! Where do you think you're going?"_

_"To die, what else?"_

_He could feel his veins pulsing on the sides of his head due of too much annoyance because to the girl, who was now trying to climb the side of the bridge yet again._

_"So you're being stubborn, huh?" he talked to himself, as he mounted his motorcycle. It roared into life a few seconds later. In an instant, he had grabbed her on her waist and put her behind him while the motorcycle was still moving._

_He was impressed with himself if you would ask him. Because he didn't know how he did that stunt a while ago…_

_Natsume then heard the brunette screaming her lungs out behind him and he told him to shut up. Seriously, his ears just couldn't take it anymore._

_And so, after being called a rapist and a kidnapper, she shut up (well, she tried) when he suddenly stopped the motorcycle on the side of the road only to face her. He threatened the brunette that he would leave her here and there and forced her (somewhat) to come home with him again._

_He would certainly find out why the hell she left her home. And he would definitely find out what caused her to (almost) commit suicide._

* * *

_He was seated on the floor, with his face on both of his hands as he leaned his back on his bedroom door._

_What caused him to say those words to her a while ago?_

_He ruffled his hair in annoyance. He was such an idiot._

_"_Never ever fall in love with me_, huh?" he said before smirking. "We'll see, Mikan. We'll see."_

* * *

Natsume stood up. He then threw a last glance to the brunette who was now sleeping peacefully on her bed.

He then sighed when he came back to his work. He was tired now and he only has three hours to spend on sleeping now. He didn't even get the chance to get some of his work done.

Feeling a sudden stroke of pain in his head, he decided to call it a night and went to bed.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't know why, but I kind of love this story XD I don't even know what's going to happen lololol.

_Chapters 1 to 3, edited. _Thank you, **RaspberriCloud**, for pointing out some of my mistakes :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Warning: **Typos, grammar errors

* * *

_**One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. ~Golda Meir**_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Unbirthday Party**

Four men sat around a wooden table, enjoying their afternoon tea (or coffee for some) while some were smoking their cigars.

"Blazing Unlimited offered me a business deal," a balding man in his late fifties said, while elegantly stirring the coffee inside his china, "it was a good proposal, I might say."

"Please, Takigawa-san, we already agreed that we wouldn't be talking about business today."

"Well, I just thought that I'd start a conversation. Besides, what are we going to talk about here aside from business, right?" The old man laughed as he took a sip from his china.

"Right you are, Takigawa. What is this business proposal all about then?"

The two men talked while the others just sat on their chairs, listening intently on the conversation. Okimura, a sixty year old cheerful man and the one talking to Takigawa, nodded his head excitedly as he listened to the latter's explanation.

"It was a good proposal indeed. But I haven't heard of this company before..."

"Oh, about that," a man, in his early forties and the youngest of the bunch, who was busily munching on his biscuits, interjected, "I heard about that somewhere. I just can't remember when... Ah-hah! The Hyuuga's. They decided to expand their business here in Asia so they opened a branch of their company here in Japan about a year ago. Their company was originally based in France, but the son, Natsume Hyuuga, is managing the branch here."

"The Hyuuga's, Shibuya? They're conquering Europe right now, together with the Nogi's. And they're also very good business partners," Takigawa said as he lit another cigar (he already finished smoking two a while ago...). "Not to mention that young secretary that Hyuuga has. Oh, which reminds me... Serio, she looks awfully like your stepdaughter. Mikan, is it?"

Rei Serio, who was quiet during the whole conversation, smirked.

_So that's where you've been hiding all this time, Mikan._

* * *

"Hah! I told you can do it. What did I tell you?" a cheerful brunette said, while jumping up and down with both her hands clasped over her chest.

Natsume shook his head, while one of his hands was carefully massaging his temple. He could feel a headache coming...

"I know, I know. You've already told me almost a hundred times already."

"A hundred times? That's exaggerating, Natsume! _Mou_~"

The raven-head smirked at his secretary. "Oh really?"

Feeling the warmth spreading on her face, the brunette immediately turned away and stomped her way to the office door. "Fine. Hmp! I'm going back to my desk, you meanie."

"Meanie? Huh? Talk about mature, little girl."

"Whatever."

Looking at his watch, the crimson-eyed man stood up and followed the brunette. Still annoyed, Mikan looked back at the raven-head. "Why are you following me?"

"It's lunch time."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And?"

"Aren't you hungry?"

Mikan was silent for a while before a grin appeared on her face. "Actually, I am," she said, as she put her arms around Natsume's.

Natsume shook his head.

_Women. They're so unpredictable, it's almost scary._

* * *

"Why are we here again?"

"I told you we're going to celebrate, Natsume."

"But we still have work back in the office..."

"_Mou_, Natsume. All work and no play is bad for your health," Mikan said, as she put all the food they bought from the grocery store on top of the table (they went home after buying food from convenient store near their office), "and besides, I think this is a part of my job description."

Natsume raised an eyebrow at her. "And that is?"

"Take care of my workaholic boss, that is!"

The raven-head shook his head gently at the teen on front of her. "Fine, I'll let this slide for now. Because you've helped me to get that business deal."

"_Uh-huuuh_," the brunette theatrically nod her head while both her arms were crossed over her chest, "Yes, yes. Yes, I did."

Natsume chuckled, as he looked at the brunette in front of him, who continued on placing the all the foods (he didn't know if the both of them could eat all those food themselves) on the table.

"So yeah, Natsume. Let's eat!"

Defeated, he sighed and helped himself with a piece of gyoza and a cup of soda. He would also eat those meat buns later.

* * *

"_Ahhhh_. I'm think I'm going to die, Natsume. My stoma_aaaa_ch," the brunette said, while caressing her now bulging stomach in slow circles.

The raven-head clicked his tongue. "Who told you to eat that much?"

He then proceeded to wipe the table top (Mikan's soda was spilled on it a while ago) and put all the garbage inside the garbage bag.

"I'll just throw these away."

Mikan frowned. "You can do that tomorrow, Natsume."

"I know. But I think I need to walk to shake off all those calories I've consumed."

"Okay."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"No, I'm lazy. Go throw that away yourself and don't bother me and my stomach," she said, after shaking her head. Ugh. Her stomach really hurt.

"Who orders their boss around like this?" Natsume mumbled under his breath as he picked the garbage bags up. "I'll be back soon," he then said before going out of the door.

"_Hai_, _hai_."

Natsume smirked to himself. Some things just wouldn't change. He still had to take care of her even until now.

A few minutes after Natsume left, Mikan rolled herself on the floor. She couldn't stand, her stomach was so full and it hurt. She sobbed, when she tried to stand, but she couldn't. A few moments had passed and she stayed like that, sprawled on the floor with sweat forming and glistening on her forehead. She would just wait for Natsume to come back...

The brunette then heard the phone ring, but she couldn't stand up and just listened at the message.

_This is Natsume Hyuuga. I'm quite busy at the moment. Just leave a message. I'll try to call back as soon as I can if it's important. Hn._

"Hello? What's with the recording? _Mou_~"

_A woman's voice?_, Mikan thought.

"Anyway, I called because you haven't called me for quite a while. Do you know how much worried I am for you, huh? Huuuuuh? Are you that busy on your work over there that you have forgotten about me? I miss you, you know. And we're supposed to celebrate your birthday today―"

The brunette who was still listening to the message (she still couldn't get up...), frowned.

_Today is Natsume's birthday? How come he never told me?_

She then willed herself to get up, even if it was hard for her to do so. Her stomach still hurt...

_Uggggh. Note to self: don't eat too much._

Slamming her bedroom's door behind her, she didn't hear the remaining message.

"―nii-san. Oh yeah, I haven't greeted you yet. Happy birthday, Natsume-nii! Mom and I miss you very much. We hope to see you soon! I love you!"

_Your message has been recorded._

* * *

"―hope to see you soon! I love you!"

_Your message has been recorded._

Mikan frowned. She couldn't help it, she was too curious not to listen to the rest of the message (although she missed quite a lot of it when she suddenly went inside her room a while ago).

A woman just told Natsume she loved her.

_Natsume already has a girlfriend...?_ Her frown deepened. She just accepted the fact that she was, well might... have... okay, maybe a little... ugh, fine! She had fallen in love with a workaholic monster also known as her boss slash Natsume Hyuuga who was (Seven years? Eight years?) years older than her.

But! But who ever said that age mattered when it comes to falling in love?

The brunette shook her head.

No wonder he told her never to fall for him the night when they first met.

_Ack. Mikan Sakura Yukihara, you're doomed._

She then felt the sudden urge to go to the bathroom and empty her stomach by _uhhh_, yeah. You know what.

Yep. She was doomed indeed.

* * *

After a very excruciating time that Mikan had spent inside the bathroom, she immediately went to bed after taking a short shower. It was already six thirty in the morning when she woke up, mainly because of her nightmares again, but she was surprised to find Natsume cooking breakfast in the kitchen. She found it weird because he normally wakes up at seven every morning.

"I know, I know. I've been very busy lately, okay?"

_Oh, he's talking to someone on the phone._

"Yeah, I was just so tired last night I couldn't call you back, Aoi. I've already told you. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you when we see each other, okay?"

_Aoi...?_

Natsume chuckled. The brunette, who was seated on a chair near the kitchen counter, frowned.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you, too."

_Wait, what the h-_

The raven-head was shaking his head when he ended the call. He didn't notice Mikan, who was still frowning and got back to cooking breakfast.

"So," the brunette said, slightly startling Natsume, "Who was that?"

He shook his head gently once again, calming his heartbeat. This little girl, scratch that, _woman_ would be the death of him.

"Natsume?" she asked when he didn't answer. "Oh, which reminds me. A woman called last night."

Natsume flipped a pancake on the pan. "Ah, yeah. I already called her back."

Mikan silently nodded. There was still that pain on her chest when she remembered the woman's message last night. And the call Natsume just had that morning.

"That was my sister," the raven-head told her, as he gave her share of pancakes.

"You have a sister."

Natsume nodded.

"And you didn't even tell me."

This time, the raven-head just shrugged his shoulders.

The brunette was relieved. She still has a chance.

_A chance? I think you're making a great mistake over here, girl. Natsume doesn't even see you as a woman. He calls you little girl, remember?_

She felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. Damn that tiny voice inside her head for destroying her only ray of hope.

_But I... she... gaaaah. Whatever. That stupid voice has a point._

Mikan chuckled and looked at Natsume. "Why are you telling me this? Didn't we agree before that we won't be prying over our privacy?"

"I don't know. I just feel like telling you. And I don't even remember talking to you about that thing so yeah."

The brunette rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever, Natsume."

They were eating in silence when Mikan suddenly broke it by choking on her drink.

"What's wrong?" Natsume worriedly asked as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"You never told me that yesterday was your birthday!"

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga was in a foul mood. Everyone in the office noticed that. His employees never attempted to go inside his office whenever that happens… unless necessary.

The raven-head sighed. He had lost his temper once again. (His secretary told him that a very important meeting had to be cancelled because of a schedule conflict. Annoyed with this, and with his _other _secretary, he glared at Matsuhara-san and the poor woman was so scared that she literally ran away from his office after that.)

It was all Mikan's fault. What was so important about knowing his birthday? It was just a normal day, just like any other day. It was just the day he was born, he grows old every time it comes, so why celebrate? Not to mention he had enough of birthday parties organized by his mother ever since he was young and he couldn't say that he enjoyed them at all. That was why he couldn't understand what was so special about it. He also couldn't understand why Mikan was ignoring him because of it.

Seriously.

* * *

Mikan sighed. He went home ahead of Natsume to go to the grocery to buy some things for what she had in mind. Yes, she would try to cook for her boss tonight.

An hour had passed and the brunette felt like crying.

The pasta she cooked looked like someone had_ pooped_ on it intentionally; the cake she baked was as hard as a rock and the dish she had just prepared tasted like crap.

Nothing had gone right for her for the past hour, and Natsume would be home any minute from now.

She then heard the sound of the door being opened and saw Natsume, who was frowning, enter and walked to her direction.

_Oooh, think of the devil and he will come._

Still frowning, he asked her, "What's this?"

The brunette felt the tears fell from her eyes. She sobbed as he answered, "Well, I―I tried to do something for your birthday. But as you can see, it's not as good as I imagined it to be."

"You cooked all this for me?"

Mikan could feel the amusement in his voice as she wiped the tears on her eyes. She gently nodded at him. "Yes, but it probably won't taste good so don't even think about eating it."

The raven-head was silent for a while she was still busy crying her eyes out. She opened her eyes only to find Natsume eating her, uhhh, _Poop Pasta_. She cried even harder when he told her it tasted good.

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better, Natsume. I know it doesn't taste good," she said while sobbing.

"I'm not lying. It just doesn't look that good and well, maybe a bit salty, but it does taste good." He then proceeded to taste the cake in front of him.

"No, don't eat that, Natsume!" Mikan watched him with wide eyes as the raven-head _chewed_ on his birthday cake.

The raven-head slowly nodded and looked at Mikan. "It's not bad either."

The brunette stared back at him with watery eyes, as she felt her heart go out to him. How could she not fall in love with this man?

Tears continued to flow from her eyes, but she didn't care. She wiped them with her right hand before smiling at him.

"Happy birthday, Natsume."

_Now_, Natsume thought, _spending my birthday with her isn't bad at all._

* * *

The employees working at the Blazing Unlimited were gawking at the said company's CEO. He was not smiling, but one could easily notice the difference in his mood the other day with his mood now. His handsome face was _almost _glowing, as if something good happened to him before he went to sleep the night before. Or perhaps, some guessed, he had a good night sleep or a very good dream during his slumber.

"Or he got laid," a male employee bluntly said, making the women around him blush.

* * *

Mikan knocked three times on the door and walked inside her boss' office.

"Natsume, Matsuhara-san told me that you have a meeting with a new investor in―" she took a look on her wristwatch, "―ten minutes."

The raven-head didn't even take a glance on her and continued on studying the documents he was holding. "Meeting? With whom?"

"Hmm. I forgot to ask her? _Ehehehe_~"

Finally looking at her, Natsume shook his head immediately.

They went out of his office a few minutes after and went to the conference room for the said meeting.

"Oh, he's finally here," Matsuhara-san (the real secretary) said as she stood up and bowed to her boss. The others did the same. "Mr. Hyuuga, I'd like to introduce our new investor to you. Mr. Rei Serio from the Sakura-Yukihara Industries."

The said man smiled at him before offering to shake his hand.

"Sakura-Yukihara?" Natsume asked, his voice full of confusion. He kept himself from looking at the young brunette behind him.

Every one of them took their seats except from Mikan who visibly paled at the sight of the old man.

Rei Serio looked at the brunette with that odd glint in his eyes. "I've missed you, daughter," he then told her.

Natsume noticed that Mikan turned even paler.

The raven-head frowned.

She looked like as if she wanted to run away. But why?

From whom exactly?

His frown deepened when the brunette walked outside the door and ran away.

* * *

**A/N:** Yey for cliffies! XD

Thank you for those who reviewed the last chapter and those who put this story on their alert list. Thank you again!

Please leave a review. Thank you :)))


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except Matsuhara-san. Those who read FCMTSCL might have recognized her. Yuuus. She still worked as Natsume's secretary in this fanfic. I'm too lazy to think of another name so yeah. Hihihi.

**Warning:** Grammar errors, typos, OOC-ness

* * *

_**Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig**_

* * *

**Chapter 5:** **Questions: The Calm Before the Storm**

Mikan Sakura had run away again.

She didn't care how cold she felt. She just ran and ran, moved her feet until they hurt... until she could feel fire in her lungs. She stopped for a while to catch a breath and looked behind her.

Good, no one was following her. She was still safe.

The brunette sighed and felt tears flowing from her eyes.

_No, no. This couldn't be_, she thought, shaking her head. _I told myself I'd cry no more_.

She supressed a sob, as warm and silent tears continued to fall and she couldn't stop walking. She walked and walked and she didn't know where she currently was, but she didn't care.

Mikan knew she needed to run away.

He had found her... she couldn't believe he had found her already. And one by one she could see, she could feel... her nightmares were coming into life to haunt her for real.

* * *

She found herself kneeling in front of her family's tombstone. The tears on her amber eyes were long gone, as they dried because of the late November's cold wind. Her hands felt cold against her skin as she hugged herself, the muscles on her leg and her feet hurt, but she heeded no attention to the coldness and the pain.

"Mom, dad," she said, her voice cracking, "I miss you both."

She stayed like that for a while until she decided to go home.

* * *

Natsume was beyond furious. Mikan had been missing for hours already, but he couldn't leave this damned meeting. Every minute―_hell_―every second that passed seemed to mock him, telling him to get the fuck out of this conference room and search for her. He knew that the brunette didn't know her way around the town, having been raised up having her own car and with her very own driver.

The raven-head looked at his wristwatch every once in a while, hoping that this meeting would end.

He needed to find her. He had to find her.

Questions were lingering inside his head... he had to know why she had run away before... and why she had ran away once again.

* * *

He has searched for her everywhere.

The mall. The park… every place that came into his mind… _everywhere_.

He had gone back to her home, asked the guard if he saw the young brunette, but no. She hadn't gone back at that place.

The raven-head frowned.

_Of course, she ran away from this place. Why the hell would she come back here now?_

Shaking his head, he mounted his motorcycle and drove to the cemetery.

* * *

The cold wind brushed against his face, and he could see the white fog coming from his mouth.

Autumn was quickly passing, and he was sure that this year's winter would be cold like every other year.

Natsume could feel his heart thumping inside his rib cage at the mere thought of losing her.

_He needed to find her. He had to find her._

* * *

He found no one on her family's tombstone, but the area surrounding it was suspiciously clean and devoid of dried leaves from the nearby trees.

She had been here.

Once again, he went around the city with the hopes of finding her fuelling his will to withstand the cold. He had just realized that he forgot his coat inside his office when he left.

After an hour of searching, he finally gave up and decided to go home. He decided that getting some rest and eating some food would be best for now.

Searching for someone with a tired body and a hungry stomach was never a good choice.

* * *

He found her, curled up in a fetal position on the couch in his living room.

Natsume almost collapsed in relief as he looked at the brunette, her face empty of any emotions. Her eyes, too, were blank and emotionless and the sparkle that was ever so present in them was gone.

"Do you know how long I've been searching for you?" he asked, as he took a seat on the floor beside the couch. He massaged his temples, and closed his eyes.

She then hummed softly, eyes never looking at the man who sat near her. She then reached to touch his dress shirt, and scooted near him to take in his familiar scent.

_It wasn't a dream. Natsume was here. _

She was safe... for now.

* * *

The two of them sat on the couch (Natsume insisted that he should seat on the couch, too, considering how tired he was because of looking for her), the silence surrounding them was comfortable. Mikan couldn't remember how long she had longed for this. Natsume's company and the security he offered by just being near her. She had never felt so safe ever since she had ran away from home...

Then, even before she could stop herself, she asked him, "Natsume, have you... you know. Have you fallen in love before?"

The man beside her didn't even respond to her question. She took Natsume's silence as a yes. The brunette suddenly wished that it wasn't so quiet, or he might hear her heart breaking.

A few seconds later, he murmured, his voice was gentle and the brunette could _hear_ his smile through his voice, "Yes. A long time ago actually."

It took all of her will not to run away.

Sighing, she asked him, the sadness in her voice was masked by a teasing tone, "Oh, really? Who would have thought?"

"Yeah."

_Silence. _

It was Mikan who broke it once again a few moments later.

"So, have you ever had a girlfriend before? I'm sure you do, considering how handsome you look―"

"You think I'm handsome?" he asked, smirking.

Mikan averted her gaze and shook her head. "N-No. It's not like that Natsume. You know, a lot of your female, _even_ _male_, employees have a crush on you. I can only wonder why."

The raven-head clicked his tongue and looked at Mikan playfully. "Oh, really?"

After a few minutes of the brunette's denial, Natsume finally answered Mikan's question. "No. I haven't even dated anyone."

"I don't believe you."

"It's true."

"Liar."

"Hey, I'm not. I'm telling the truth."

Mikan looked at the raven-head beside her, her eyebrows furrowed and her right under her chin. "So you're really telling the truth?"

Natsume could only nod. "Yes."

The brunette theatrically gasped, as she put a hand over her mouth. "I can't believe you've never dated anyone before!"

The crimson-eyed man just shrugged his shoulders before looking at her.

"I have never dated anyone before because I'm reserving my heart for the woman I'm going to marry."

His eyes were sparkling with an emotion Mikan had never seen before, but it was gone the moment she blinked her eyes. She could only wonder if it was only her imagination.

* * *

"I've answered your question a while ago. I think it's your turn to answer mine now," Natsume carefully said, while eyeing the food he just finished cooking a few minutes ago.

"Hm."

"Remember, little girl. A tooth for a tooth―"

"An eye for an eye. _Riiight_. Go then. Ask away."

"Why―why exactly did you leave your home?"

The raven-head noticed how the girl―no, _woman_― in front of him stiffened at his question. A few seconds had passed, but still, no answer came from her.

But he patiently waited.

And waited.

Suddenly, she stood up, leaving the food on her plate untouched. With a fake smile on her face, she told him, "_Ugh_. I suddenly feel so sleepy, Natsume. Oh, which reminds me… you're older than me."

"You should eat, you know. This is so unlike you. You usually scarf down anything I cook for you. And yeah. I'm older than you. So?"

Mikan shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Shouldn't I call you nii-san? Or something? You're my boss too, and I think I should―"

"I already have a sister. I don't need another one."

"But―"

"Mikan, you've been calling me without an honorific since the first time we've met. Why change that now?"

The brunette sighed and willed herself not to blush at the sound of his voice saying her name.

"Whatever. Just stick with calling me Natsume. All right, little girl?" _Besides, I've always wanted you to call me that. No honorifics. Just… Natsume._

Mikan looked at the man as she smiled at him before walking into her bedroom.

Natsume could only shake his head when he realized that the brunette had changed the topic and avoided his question perfectly.

* * *

_A few days later_

Mikan didn't know what was happening.

She was just seated on her office chair a while ago, typing the business proposal and doing what Natsume asked her to, when her workaholic boss got out of his office and dragged her out of the building and into his car.

When she asked the man where they were going, he answered breathlessly as he drove, "Airport. My sister is coming."

Aoi, who was two years younger than Mikan, was on a vacation leave from her school. The younger Hyuuga insisted on visiting her brother because, according to her, she should have celebrated his birthday with her dearest brother… and because she missed her so much.

Yeah. Aoi and her brother complex.

_Shiver._

* * *

The two of them, Mikan and Aoi, got a long very well, mainly because their age gap was not that big. So when the younger Hyuuga asked Natsume to let Mikan have a day off just to hang out with her, the crimson-eyed man could only nod in agreement.

Aoi squealed and hugged his brother tightly before going inside the brunette's room. She told the brunette about her brother's decision and asked her to go out to the mall with her.

Mikan smiled and agreed.

And so, the twosome sat on a bench in the park, despite the cold weather. Luckily, the two of them were dressed in a much thicker clothing, all thanks to Natsume who reminded them before he left for his work.

"Aoi-chan, Natsume told me something weird a few days ago," the brunette broke the comfortable silence between the two of them. She was happy, because she had found a new friend. And Aoi being Natsume's younger sister was a plus point for her.

_Errr, yeah._

The raven-haired woman raised her eyebrow. "What is it, nee-san?"

Aoi insisted on calling her that, because she said she had always wanted a big sister. Not that she didn't like being Natsume's younger sister, but sometimes, there were some things that could only be said between girls. And Natsume Hyuuga was definitely not a girl. No. Just _nuh-uh_.

"Well, it's not weird, really, but I'm just curious."

"About what?"

"Natsume told me he hasn't had a girlfriend ever since."

"And so?"

"You don't think it's weird?"

"Uhhh... no?"

Mikan looked at the woman in front of her. With wide eyes, she exclaimed, "Is Natsume gay?"

"What?! No! My nii-san isn't gay!" Aoi shouted, her arms crossing across her chest, resembling a letter 'X'.

"Then, why? I mean, a guy like Natsume..."

Aoi let out an unlady-like snort. "Well, it's not weird. Because he's practically in love with someone since he was really young."

The brunette knotted her forehead. She didn't know about this. She suddenly felt her heart breaking, crumbling into little pieces because of Aoi's words.

And with all the courage she could muster, she asked Natsume's sister, "Do you know who she is? The woman Natsume's in love with?"

The Hyuuga looked at her and smirked. Mikan could only look at her and think about how she resembled his older brother.

Aoi's words almost knock her off her seat.

"It's you, Mikan-nee."

* * *

Mikan has never been so confused in her whole life.

She gaped at the young Hyuuga in front of her, who was now paying her no attention.

"What do you mean, Aoi-chan? _Me_? Haaaah?"

Shrugging her shoulders, the raven-head answered, "I don't know either. I just know that my brother has been in love with you ever since he was really young. I wasn't even born at that time yet, I think. Mom would just tell me stories of the both of you. How the two of you looked so cute together and how you and Natsume-nii should marry each other. You know, all that. Yeah. That's my mother and her _fangirling_ tendencies."

The brunette was now blushing from head to toe. "Your mother knows me?"

"Yes. She and your mom have been best friends since their college days, if I'm not mistaken," Aoi said, as she put a finger on her chin. The raven-head then looked at her, surprised. "Wait. You didn't know, nee-san?"

Mikan could only shake her head.

Gasping, Aoi stood up and quickly told her, "Don't tell nii-san that I told you. He'll kill me! No_oooooo_!"

"Don't worry. I won't―"

"I spoiled everything for my dearest brother. You've found out his undying love for you. And he's not the one who told you! Oh my― I'm so dead. I just knew it. I'm de_eee_ad," the younger Hyuuga wailed as she ran away.

_Thump. Thump._

Mikan's heart was beating so hard inside her chest that she couldn't even breathe. Her cheeks felt so warm as her delicate hands covered her flushed face.

She should be happy, right? She just found out that the man she loved was actually feeling the same way for her. And that he had been on love with since the beginning.

_Wait a minute― the woman he said he was going to marry… it couldn't be…_

Could he mean her…?

Did Natsume really intent to marry her?

The brunette gasped. _But we've just met. How could he―_

No. Aoi just told her that the older Hyuuga had known her ever since… and now that she thought of it, she might have known Natsume if his younger sister was telling the truth.

_But how? When did they meet? Where? For long have they known each other?_

The brunette needed the answers to these questions. And she knew just the right place to look for them.

She remembered the words her mother would often tell her when she was still alive.

_Running away is of no use. You might as well face your fears as soon as possible._

Taking a deep breath, she stood up and made her decision.

Mikan Sakura-Yukihara, the latter a surname she rarely used, was going home.

* * *

**A/N: **I've managed to update quickly because of the number of reviews that I have received for the last chapter. They someone encouraged me to quickly write another one XD so thanks for those who have read and have left a review for the previous chapter. Hearts heart heaaaaarts *o*

I reply to reviews. Yeaaaah. Because I'm bored like that XDD

_Next chapter: Chapter 6: Nightmares tat Haunt Her_


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